Dissecting Dragons

Episode 318: Mjolnir, Carnwenhau & Sting - Signature Weapons and Combat Mistakes in Speculative Fiction

Regular listeners will not be surprised to hear that both dragons are nerds about weaponry in general and swords in particular. However, there are ways of writing and filming weapons in speculative fiction that work and other ways that don't. This week Jules and Madeleine take a look how to incorporate a signature weapon into a story (everyone loves a superhero with a cool blade or unusual axe, right?) and how to avoid common mistakes for writing use of weapons in sff. Just how much speculation is too much in a weapons scene? What do you need to be aware of? And how can you avoid a clanger that will throw a more knowledgeable reader out of the story? On the slab this week - MCU Infinity War & End Game, The Wheel of Time, Star Trek - The Next Generation and many more

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 317: I Want Candy! - Giving Your Characters a Balanced Diet in Speculative Fiction

We've all read characters like this: the character who has clearly become the author's precious darling upon whom she will bestow all gifts, abilities, luck and narrative candy. In fact, a lot of readers have characters about whom they feel the same, so is it even a problem? Sadly, yes. An over-candied character will rot your story, weigh down the plot and kill tension.  What constitutes candy in character terms? And how can you give your character all the cool stuff you want to give them without destroying the story? This week Jules and Madeleine look at why this happens and what to do about it. On the slab this week - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harker & Blackthorn, Daughter of the Moon Goddess by Sue Lynn Tan and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 316: Vampire Detectives and Snarky Female Cops - Urban Fantasy Tropes that need a Change

Part 2 of a 2 part episode

Both dragons are big urban fantasy fans. (This will surprise no one who regularly listens or reads their work - both write UF, after all). However, they've each grown a little tired of certain iterations of UF tropes so this week, Jules and Madeleine are taking a look at UF tropes which are maybe a little tired and could do with being rested or reimagined. Please note, this is an opinion piece, not specific writing advice - they may discuss tropes that are evergreen for you, and if you love them, that's fine. We all want different things from our Urban Fantasy! On the slab this week - Scarlett Bernard series by Melissa F Olson, Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Guild Codex by Annette Marie and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 315: Vampire Detectives & Snarky Female Cops - Urban Fantasy Tropes that need a Change

Part 1 of a 2 part episode

Both dragons are big urban fantasy fans. (This will surprise no one who regularly listens or reads their work - both write UF, after all). However, they've each grown a little tired of certain iterations of UF tropes so this week, Jules and Madeleine are taking a look at UF tropes which are maybe a little tired and could do with being rested or reimagined. Please note, this is an opinion piece, not specific writing advice - they may discuss tropes that are evergreen for you, and if you love them, that's fine. We all want different things from our Urban Fantasy! On the slab this week - Scarlett Bernard series by Melissa F Olson, Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Guild Codex by Annette Marie and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 314: Old Souls and Mischievous Urchins - Writing Child Characters in Speculative Fiction

Believable child characters can be tricky to write. Children are not merely mini adults but tend to see the world very differently. Added to which, writing a child protagonist for a child reader is completely different to writing a child character for an adult audience. This week the dragons delve into how to create a child character for both audiences, both the perils and pitfalls, and the neat tricks you can use to make your character pitch perfect in terms of age and life experience. Under the microscope this week: Home by Amanda Berriman, To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee, Interview with a Vampire and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 313: The Economy of Boots - Wealth and Poverty in Speculative Fiction

Economic status is a major consideration in both world building and characterisation, and that's before you consider the fact that SFF is often concerned with confronting the reader with real world problems disguised as speculative fiction. This week, the dragons take a look at wealth versus poverty when it comes to creating a world and developing characters. From Terry Pratchett's Vimes' Economy of Boots to Trudi Canavan's Black Magician - where the being able to afford access to your own magic is a sign of wealth and status - to the difference between being a Malfoy and a Weasley  at wizarding school, Jules and Madeleine have got you covered.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 312: All the Feels - Widening the Appeal of Your Writing with Feel Good Moments

Have you ever read a book that included all the tropes, story and character types you love, and yet found it didn't work for you? Have you read books in genres that you typically don't like, and loved them without really understanding why? How do some authors pull off the trick of having readers follow them cross genre, and how can we as authors do the same? This week, Jules and Madeleine take a look at broad reader appeal in storytelling terms and how you can make it work for you. Whether you write the bleakest of dystopian fiction, the most nihilistic horror or the fluffiest romance, you too can lead your readers Pied Piper style across all the genres you want to write. (At least some of your readers, anyway!)

Join the dragons to find out how in this week's episode

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 311: Run Away! Run Away! - the enduring Charm of Cowardly Characters

Most readers of SFF and speculative fiction are familiar with the 'call to arms' or inciting incident. That familiarity extends to the variety of ways a protagonist or side character reacts to the event. While bravery, calculation or a sense of adventure are more common, there is also something engaging about the unabashedly cowardly character. Going a step beyond being merely a reluctant hero, cowardly characters generally start with no desire to engage with the unfolding adventure at all. So what is it about these characters - both the positive and the negative - which captures the imagination? This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at various permutations of the archetype and theorise why. On the slab this week - The Princess Bride, Howl's Moving Castle, The Lies of Locke Lamora and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 310: Villainesses and Dense Heroines - the Reverse Harem Trope in Speculative Fiction

Okay, hear us out: the reverse harem trope isn't necessarily anything to do with wish fulfilment, sex or erotica. And this week, we're going to delve into why and how, and exactly what makes this trope so popular. From anime to fairytales in it's origins, to its inclusion in urban fantasy and paranormal romance, this trope has far more in common with the found family trope than you might initially believe. 

On the slab this week Fruits Basket, Labyrinth, Annette Marie's Guild Codex and many more.

 

Title music: Ecstasy by Smiling Cynic

Episode 309: False Prophets and Unwanted Messiahs - Examining the White Saviour Trope in Speculative Fiction part 2

Who gets to tell the story is often as important as the story itself - certainly in fiction and often in real life too. While the dragons generally hold the view that stories belong to everyone, they also feel that not every story is owned equally by all storytellers and that writers have a duty to treat subjects sensitively and do due diligence. That being said, there is also a trend towards using buzzwords to categorise certain narratives, which robs them of their nuance. Stories beget other stories; art doesn't happen in a vacuum uninfluenced, so it's important to thoroughly examine something before you discard it. 

 

This week Jules and Madeleine take a look at the 'white saviour trope' in films, books and other media. What exactly is it? Where did it come from? Is it as simple as a narrative device used to make certain readers/ viewers feel better about complicated socio-political and historical events, or is there more to it? And could it possibly be suffering from mis-application? 

Find out in thus second part of a two part episode. On the slab during this discussion: A Time to Kill, The Help, Avatar, Game of Thrones and many more.